


Still With You

by NEKOMI



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Other, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:07:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25607101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NEKOMI/pseuds/NEKOMI
Summary: High school is often perceived to be the highlight of one's life. Experiences that will stick with you forever.A story of teens growing up, learning how to love and learning to accept that family isn't always defined by those who are connected by blood.And everyone in their little group has their own little quirks.I’m standing still under the frozen sunset, but I will walk towards you, step by stepWe laugh together, we cry togetherThe moon looks lonely, like it's crying in the bright night skyEven though I always know the morning will come, I want to stay in your sky like a starWe may not be on the same page, but I want to walk this path with you.
Relationships: Aang & Toph Beifong & Katara & Sokka & Suki & Zuko, Aang/Toph Beifong, Iroh & Zuko (Avatar), Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Mai/Ty Lee (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 25





	1. Intro

**Author's Note:**

> The Gaang’s ages:
> 
> Aang and Toph: 14
> 
> Katara: 16
> 
> Zuko, Sokka and Suki: 17
> 
> Beta read by [airiustide](https://archiveofourown.org/users/airiustide)
> 
> Please feel free to follow me at [@MANEKOMI](https://mobile.twitter.com/MANEKOMI) on Twitter!

Roku Academy was a coed private high school. Despite its modest size, the campus maximized the utility of its limited space, and therefore, the students did not see it as particularly cramped. Its proximity to the station made it increasingly popular with residence from the suburbs of the country, who could commute to school while still living at home. The school's ranking and prestige were on a gentle upward climb, so the timing of any student arrivals were actually quite fortunate.

The elevated location has the campus with an excellent view, but on the other side of the school was the expanse of a cemetery — a lonely place for being in the middle of a quiet city.

Roku Academy was located fairly close to the station. Though it was a private school, its scholastic rank and tuition were above average, which combined with its proximity to downtown, made it a difficult school to attend. Parents typically expressed resistance, but for students coming from distant regions, it held a distinct, powerful allure. 

And like any other school, it served as a meeting place for students of all different types, facilitating the creation of groups of like-minded teens, and occasionally very unlikely combinations as well.

Before the warning bell alarms the student populace, these little groups of varied friends gathered and dispersed to their own destinations.

* * *

"So I was wondering," said an older teen, straight-faced, successfully catching the attention of his two friends, "What club are you going to join this year?"

It was late in the morning, fresh and cloudy; but the rays of sunlight still managed to flood the sidewalk with shadows. Two hands stretched towards the sky and wiggled around as its male owner gave the other boy his typical reaction. 

“Uh... What?"

Meanwhile, the innocent-looking boy who was beside him gently lifted the corners of his lips upwards in a more child-like smile, his gray eyes drooping. 

"Didn't you read the text notification from school, Sokka?" Zuko asked, then let out a sigh after receiving a small, questionably head tilt from him. "Are you serious — forget it. Of course you didn't read it. I regret asking."

Sokka halts in his steps and turns his body around to fully face him. "What did the text say, Zuko?"

He frowns. "I'm not telling you. Suffer for not reading."

"Oh, come _on_!" 

Aang, undeterred, sing-songs: “If you don’t tell him now you’ll suffer for it later.” He leans in close, raising a brow. “Do you really want him to annoy you later rather than now?”

Zuko groans and pushes Aang away. “You two really need to bother someone else. Why is it always me?”

Aang takes hold of his arm, chuckling good-naturedly. He pulls him close, in a weird half-hug, and says, “Because you’re my best friend — ”

“Hey!” Sokka interjected, “I’m _your_ best friend!” 

“ — And you love us!” Aang continued with a smile, “ — Now answer the question!”

Zuko pulls away, but the corner of his mouth pulls up just a tiny bit. “You’re not allowed to be in a soccer club anymore,” he informs, with just a little of his trademark snark.

“Wha — ?!” Sokka makes a face. “They can’t do that! You’re lying!”

“Am not!”

“Why aren’t I allowed to join soccer anymore?” He whines. “That’s frustrating. I’m good at nothing else but soccer.” He pouts.

“Because soccer is a sport. It’s considered a voluntary extra-curricular now. Clubs are a required extra-curricular.”

Sokka crosses his arms. “That’s dumb.”

Zuko shrugs. “Hey, I’m not on the board.” He pulls him along. “And anyway, you can still join soccer. Just not as a club. So you’ll have two extra-curriculars now.”

Sokka pauses, considering. “That would be good but…”

“But…?”

“But having two extra-curriculars would suck!” he exclaims, waving his arms about. “I still have to take care of Katara and — ”

Zuko sighs. “Sokka, Katara can take care of herself.”

“But — ”

“ — Katara can take care of herself,” Zuko assures. “She’s smart and reliable.”

“You’re just saying that because you find her trustworthy,” Sokka quips. “If something happens and I’m not there because I’m too busy — ”

“Sokka!” Zuko interjects, annoyed. “You’re worried about nothing. Nothing’s going to happen to Katara. It’s not like before — you have your father now.”

Sokka quiets at the mention of Hadoka and Zuko momentarily regrets his lack of tact. While Sokka’s over-protective nature is justifiable, it gets pretty irritating at times. He tends to fret over virtually nothing these days. Though, Zuko supposes it is better than when he was fretting over something much more serious than having two extra-curriculars eating up his time.

Zuko places a comforting hand on his shoulder, unsure of what to say. Sokka flashes him a grin, which makes him sigh in relief.

“Well, I guess it’s still the second day of school anyway,” Sokka says. “I still have lots of time before they actually make us pick clubs.”

“Even then, you have to choose one soon so you can list yourself before club capacity runs out,” Zuko reminds him.

“Oh yeah!” Sokka ponders. “Hmm, maybe I can join the art club!”

Zuko cringes. “Definitely not.”

“Hey!” Sokka chides, “I’ll have you know that my art has improved!”

“How could you possibly think that you have improved...” Zuko smirks. “...When you can’t even draw a stick figure?”

“I’m still learning!”

Aang laughed at their conversation, considering the art club.

“Hey, guys!”

Aang looks up and brightens at the sight of his other friends, Katara and Suki. They waved to the trio from the school gates. He waves back and greets them. 

“How’re you guys?” Aang asks, he, Sokka and Zuko approaching the two girls. “Have you picked any clubs yet?”

“Oh! I’m thinking about the book club!” Katara laughs. “And Suki wants to join the historical arts.”

“But that’s _boring_ ,” Her brother drawls out, almost lazily.

“Excuse me?” Katara narrows her eyes and places her hands on her hips. “Are you implying that we’re boring?”

“Whoa, whoa!” He raised his hands up in defense, “I never said that! I’m just saying that the clubs are boring!”

“Oh?” Suki spoke this time, “And what of the members, _hm_?”

“Hey!” Sokka pouts. “You know what? Forget what I said.”

Katara and Zuko both roll their eyes. Aang just grins.

“Anyway, Katara, look at my new bag!” Suki says, and the two converse in their usual girlish chit-chat. Sokka rolls his eyes at this.

“She’s been going on and on about that new bag for ages!” he complains to Zuko, who really can’t bring himself to care about Suki’s accessories.

Sokka continues to say some things, but Zuko’s mastered the art of tuning him out. He loves Sokka as a friend, really, but sometimes Sokka only seems capable of talking about the same things over and over. Zuko supposes talking helps him process some things, which he can’t begrudge the other teen of doing. Everyone in their little group has their own little quirks.

A bright white car pulls into the curb. Zuko can’t tell what type, but he marvels at the sheer whiteness of it. It’s spotless. He briefly wonders if rubbing his shoe against it will leave any mark. He reckons it probably won’t, no matter how illogical the thought.

The car door opens and out steps a teen Zuko’s seen before. Her hair is black, nearly inky, and her clothes are impeccable. The first thing Zuko thinks of her appearance is, _Wow…_

The girl turns her head to smile and say something to whoever’s driving, and Zuko hears Katara pull Aang close to whisper something. Zuko listens in, somewhat intrigued.

“I’ve heard some of the girls in my class talk about her,” Katara tells Aang. “She’s new, and she’s supposed to be really smart. Lots of guys are taken by her. She’s also your age, too! Is she in any of your classes?”

Aang glances at the new girl, watching as she closes the car door with a loud slam, wondering if the windows would vibrate from that. “I think so. I mean, I think I’ve seen her in AP Physics. But it’s only been a day, Katara!” Aang laughs. “I think I’ll try to make friends with her. I know it’s not easy to be a new kid.”

Zuko observes as the girl glances in their direction when Aang laughs. Zuko nudges him. Aang looks at him, then follows his gaze.

Gray eyes meet green.

Aang grins, and waves. “Hi!” He greets enthusiastically.

The girl’s eyes widen before narrowing and offers a lazy wave in return. She turns and walks into the school.

“Well, she seems nice,” Aang says, his grin still in place. “Zuko, is she in any of your classes?”

“Nope,” Zuko tells him.

The school bell rings. The five rush inside.

* * *

Aang sees the girl from earlier in his homeroom. He beams, wondering why he hasn’t noticed her sooner. He waves at her, and she looks bewildered. He takes a seat next to him.

“Hi, I’m Aang!” He says, eyes glittering. “What’s your name?”

She offers him a small smile, and her voice is soft but sure. “Toph.”


	2. Toph Beifong

Aang quickly learns that his homeroom teacher likes dancing and monologuing. 

He hasn’t talked to Toph much, only managing to learn is her name. Mr. Bumi had come barging into class soon before introducing him, and forcing Aang’s attention.

Mr. Bumi is certainly… interesting, to say the least. Aang remembers the flamboyant way he’d introduced himself on the first day of class. He'd been carrying a scary-looking expression, and had told them all to introduce themselves. Aang shudders at the memory.

“… Remember that your seats are now permanent!” Mr. Bumi announces, his voice booming. “Make sure you’re all comfortable. Be thankful you had the freedom to choose…”

_ Huh _ , Aang thinks.  _ Permanent seats. _

Aang grins at the thought and chances a glance at Toph, who’s watching their teacher with an unreadable expression on her face. If Toph’s his permanent seatmate then he’ll get to know her better for sure! Maybe he can introduce her to Zuko and Sokka and Katara… Aang’s thoughts wander off. At some point he recalls Mr. Bumi performing the standard roll call earlier in the homeroom. He had, quite interestingly, stopped at Toph’s name.

“Beifo — ” Mr. Bumi had squinted at the class list. “Toph Beifong,” he’d drawled, glancing at the girl who’d responded to the name. His eyes had narrowed at her. “Why weren’t you here yesterday, Toph?”

Toph had flashed him a wide smile and quite simply said, “I had family matters to attend to.”

He’d strode toward her desk, leaning forward with a maniacal expression on his face. Toph hadn’t even looked fazed. Aang, on the other hand, had felt quite intimidated, and Mr. Bumi hadn’t even been looking at him!

“I hope you don’t have any more absences, Toph,” Mr. Bumi had commented. He’d then turned with a weird little huff, bumping harshly into a desk, like he’d tried to pirouette and had failed. He’d nearly squished a poor student in his attempts, too. Aang had reached out to help the poor girl. Toph had snorted at their teacher. Mr. Bumi had turned to glare at her, but ultimately had decided to just continue on with the roll call as if nothing in particular happened.

Aang frowns at the thought. With the way those two are behaving now, it definitely seems like Aang had merely dreamed the whole encounter. He’s quite sure he hadn’t — his mind isn’t graphic enough to imagine Mr. Bumi’s expression. Maybe they know each other, Aang wonders. Maybe Mr. Bumi has a grudge. He’d recognized his name after all…

Aang thinks of something.

He secretly looks around in his bag for a scrap piece of paper, and finding one, he quickly scribbles down a note. Mr. Bumi, busy with whatever he’s talking about, doesn’t notice Aang slipping a piece of paper onto Toph’s desk.

Aang has to give Toph points for not even looking surprised.

She unfolds his note, and to his delight she scribbles down a reply. He thinks she can see a bit of a blush rise in her cheeks, but she’s passing the note back to him before she can think much of it.

_ Toph Beifong _ , he’s written,  _ is a cool name. _

_ Not as cool as you _ , she’d written back.

Aang thinks he can feel a bit of a blush rise in his cheeks, too.

_ Thanks! _ He scribbles.  _ Mr. Bumi’s talking a lot. Do you think homeroom will ever end? _

He passes her the note as Mr. Bumi announces something about Shakespeare’s wretched genius. “All the world's a stage, my children!” Mr. Bumi says gleefully. “Shakespeare was on the stage too. He was in the spotlight — but not to fret! The spotlight can be stolen!”

Toph passes the note back.

_ All things end, eventually. _

“… If one wants the spotlight so bad…” Mr. Bumi rambles on.

Aang ponders over Toph’s words. Katata had mentioned that people are saying Toph’s really smart, but when had people come to that conclusion? Toph had been absent yesterday, hadn’t she? Then again, he’d reckoned he’d seen her in AP Physics… He briefly wonders if she has teleportation abilities.

Aang thinks of writing that down, just to see if she’ll confirm it or not, but Mr. Bumi begins striding down their aisle so he shoves the paper deep into the pocket of his pants.

“William Shakespeare,” Mr. Bumi says, glancing at Toph, “was a great writer. His literary genius is considered legendary…”

Aang stifles a yawn. When Mr. Bumi spins around, continuing his musings, Aang quickly pulls out the note from his pant pocket and scribbles:  _ Mr. Bumi likes dancing a lot. I kinda like him. _ He passes it to Toph.

_ Kind of _ , Toph’s reply reads. He rolls his eyes.  _ And yes, he doesn’t walk. He twirls. _

Aang tries hard not to laugh.  _ I think it’s because he might have a crush on Shakespeare. _ He passes it to Toph, covering up his snickers.

_ He’s an English teacher _ , she writes back.  _ Go figure. _

Aang has to bite down on his lip to suppress a laugh.

A bit of his giggles come through, though. They’re soft enough not to alert the teacher but loud enough for Toph to hear. She directs his gaze to the boy sitting next to her, and as she turns her head she swears the cloudy morning has given way for just enough sunlight to shine through the windows and bounce off his short hair. His face is bright, his gray eyes are filled with mirth, and his shoulders are shaking with barely contained laughter.  _ He’s laughing, _ Toph marvels, at a quip she’d made. It hadn’t even been that funny!

He turns to look at her and smiles. It’s wide and open and genuine, and Toph feels a little weird.

Then and there, in that moment, Toph decides she likes this boy.

Mr. Bumi also decides to give them all a reading assignment.  _ Go figure. _


	3. The Library

Zuko scowls at the new assortment of books in the school library.

Wait, a word is missing in that sentence.

Ah, right.  _ Hormonal _ books to be exact.

Nothing erotic of course, but Zuko was positive that the library contained more romance books than necessary. They’re in high school for crying out loud — they shouldn’t be exposed to this much indecency! It should be a crime. 

Books are supposed to be filled with knowledge, helping you think of ideas and learn — they should be powerful, not  _ dangerous _ to the eyes. 

“Zuko, are you gonna brood all day?” Katara asked, nudging him.

“I’m not brooding,” Zuko tried to sound annoyed rather than defensive. Honestly, who can tell the difference?

Katara rolled her eyes at his response, and walked along the shelf. “Right.”

Zuko took in the collection of bright colored books and collection of titles. There were so many different types of people, from different worlds, and different minds, yet when it came to romance novels, why were they all the same to him? 

“These new books are horrible,” he grumbles.

“What do you mean?” Katara asked, “They’re all in great quality.”

“But they’re all about romance!” Zuko pulls a sour face, “I’ve read one once and they’re all the same! They’re boring.”

“You’re just saying that because you’re still mad about that one book I’ve lent you.”

“Am not! Romance books all start the same and end the same, that’s all. I just like books that are purely informational,” Zuko insists.

“Well,” Katara hums thoughtfully, “I’m more of a story person.”

“Of course you are,” he mutters.

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Katara grins at him. 

“It wasn’t meant as one,” Zuko informed her.

“Well, too bad,” she laughs. It was a type of laugh that could fill the entire room. A laugh that would lift the mood up. And that was exactly how Zuko feels: being lifted, a weight off his shoulders, feeling light. 

His friend was now looking at him with suspicious eyes. “What?”

“Nothing,” he lied stiffly.

“Mm,” Katara hums, raising an eyebrow.

Zuko chose to not reply, instead he looked over the books spread out in front of them. It was seriously overwhelming. “Well, this one at least looks interesting, I guess.”

He picked up a book that has a simple title and what looked like a dragon on the cover. He gave it to Katara, who wasted no time flipping it over to read the summary at the back. 

“Dragons,” she mused, “It sounds nice. You gonna check it out?”

“No way,” he said out loud. “I  _ hate _ romance.”

Katara brightens. “Then can I read it?”

He shrugs. “Go ahead.”

* * *

When lunch period began, Zuko headed for the roof of the main school building. Nearly everyone else went to the cafeteria, which was as large and deluxe as those at a university campus — or else they ventured out into the nearby neighborhood to order a quick lunch. Only a few students who brought packed lunches bothered to eat on the roof.

Zuko finds Katara in a state where she was completely invested in the book. She was halfway through it — which he finds impressive — and it doesn’t seem like she was ready to put it down.

“Okay, Sokka and Suki are running late,” He informs, sitting down on the bench next to her, not bothering to hear her response — or rather, lack of it as it seems. “Their English teacher’s a menace.” Zuko cringes. “Oh, and Aang’s probably not coming today — said he’s trying to look for someone.”

Katara looks up, intrigued. Aang has always eaten with them. He likes catching up with Katara since they don’t walk to school together. He’s never missed a single lunch.

“Who’s he looking for?”

Zuko shrugs. “Someone. He wants them to meet us.”

He had a sneaking suspicion that it was Toph, the new kid, but he didn’t really want to talk about her. 

“Anyways,” he says, pointing at her book. “How is it?”

“It’s cool,” Katara remarks, closing the book.

“Just… cool?”

Katara grins. “Yeah,” She assured him. “But…”

“But?”

“I don’t know how to feel about it.” Katara averts her eyes. “At least not yet.”

“Oh?” He tilts his head, the motion causing her to look. Katara soon regrets it.

Zuko is looking at her like  _ that _ again. The way his hooded ember eyes, like liquid gold, lingers on her far more than necessary — it wasn’t uncomfortable. In fact, she found it quite pleasant and friendly.

“Hey,” She slowly hands the book to Zuko, who takes it with a puzzled look. 

“You should read it,” Katara said to him, “I mean, you’ve only read one romance book and — ”

“That’s because I don’t like romance.”

Katara brightens. “You should try this one, though! Maybe read it to your sister — ”

“No!” Zuko jumps away from her, handing the book back to her. “She can’t — these kinds of books have kissing and — ”

Katara laughs. “She can probably handle kissing, Zuko. It’s normal.”

_ Normal?!  _ Zuko thinks, baffled.  _ Kissing isn’t normal at all! It’s… it’s…! _

Katara notices the expression on his face and snickers. He looks so confused! She smiles cheekily at him.

Zuko thinks that it’s good Aang hadn’t been there to witness everything. Lord knows that boy doesn’t need yet another reason to blackmail him. He’s had enough of Aang-brand blackmail. They all entail huge amounts of recklessness and stupidity.

_ Thank you very much for keeping him away, Toph _ , Zuko thinks as he pinches the bridge of his nose between his thumb and two fingers, sighing to compose himself. 


End file.
